Weapon, Weapon,Weapon, Weapon

I guess this is as good a place to post this as I will find. "Why" does almost everyone call a firearm a "weapon" ??? This irritates me to no end. A firearm is no more a weapon than a pencil, pen, hammer, screwdriver or any other object for that matter. The particular person handling the object would be the weapon if it was to be used in that manner. Everyone wonders why we have this stigma associated with us as firearms owners. It is not he/she has a lot of guns, rifles, pistols or revolvers, it is he/she has a lot of "weapons". How bad does this sound to all of you ?????
I for one prefer to use the terms firearms, guns, pistols, shotguns, rifles or semi-automatic rifles (not assault weapons). Come on people, why can't we clean-up our own language and call them what they are instead of "weapons". They are nothing more than a tool like everything else. Outsiders might just think better of us !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Main Entry: 1weap·on
Pronunciation: \ˈwe-pən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English wepen, from Old English wǣpen; akin to Old High German wāffan weapon, Old Norse vāpn
Date: before 12th century
1 : something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy
2 : a means of contending against another

Then it is about time to pony up a couple of bucks and stop being one of the "masses".

No matter how semantical we want to make the argument, a firearm (in general) is first and formost a weapon. They were not developed to punch paper. They were not invented to put food on the table. They were invented to kill and maim an enemy. All the other uses came along later. I would venture to say more rounds are expended each year outside of the original purpose, but most of those rounds are fired in preparation for killing.

Unfortunately the general populace (and media as you pointed out) has grabbed hold of this one. We (military) are the original purveyors of your detested term. I had it beat into me that a gun is cannon, a carbine or a pistol is a "weapon". The Army still holds on to this terminology. After getting a few years behind me I use the gun word when describing carbines or pistols just to watch the sour look on those around me in uniform.

MasterP, I would like very much to jump on your bandwagon of thought, but from past military combat experiences and conditioning, they are indeed weapons to me and others, and they were used in that capacity....to kill.

Now, if you want to break it down to specific types of weapons, then comes the distinction of handguns, rifles, shotguns, or semi-automatic rifles, machine guns and etc.

Sorry sir, no disrespect intended, but instilled conditioning is something that is very hard to change.

I’ll have to agree that it’s how you are taught. For 32 years the Air Force beat it into me that my pistol and rifle were my weapons. Remember this one:

“This is my weapon this is my gun”
“This is for Killing this is for fun”

I’ll be honest with you no matter what we call a firearm be it gun, weapon, bang stick, or whatever the media and anti-gunners will spin it to sound bad. I really don’t think it’s a problem, but that’s my opinion and opinion’s are like A** holes,,, everyone has one.

"This is my RIFLE, this is my gun. This one's for FIGHTIN', this one's for fun"

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You say it your way and I'll say it the way I was taught before you were born youngster. Not everything you see in movies is verbatim. Oh, that's right, your with the Office of Special Investigation.... does that mean you ride the short yellow bus because your special? Don’t forget your helmet.

The anti's would be rabid even if they were called "peace tools". To Hell with 'em, they can kiss the hind end of a mule. They will always be anti and I can't change them and they won't change. (Unless maybe they're mugged or something. ) Terminology doesn't matter to those whose minds are made up and enthralled by their agenda.

Then it is about time to pony up a couple of bucks and stop being one of the "masses".

No matter how semantical we want to make the argument, a firearm (in general) is first and formost a weapon. They were not developed to punch paper. They were not invented to put food on the table. They were invented to kill and maim an enemy. All the other uses came along later. I would venture to say more rounds are expended each year outside of the original purpose, but most of those rounds are fired in preparation for killing.

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i somewhat agree with this...but then again...as the use of firearms has evolved be it rifle, gun, crossbow, whatever...shouldn't the terminology used to call it? yes orginally it was a weapon primarily but like you said now more rounds are put through them for everything else then that...plus like stated earlier like a pencil, bat, stick, car, plastic bag...the list goes on and on and on...it's just an item...they all become a weapon the moment it's used as one...until then it's just an expensive paper weight...and like i've told and demonstrated many gun-haters...the ones that have never seen a gun in person, held a gun, fired a gun...have only seen them in movies, tv and pictures...firearms are paper wieght, then i take my gun and set it on the table and say "keep an eye on that gun and let me know when it does something bad" that REALLY upsets them lol

Because the reason I carry a firearm is to kill someone before they kill me. I shoot weekly with the express purpose of increasing my lethality. I own 2 "weapons", and the only reason I carry them is to kill someone who has proven that they want to kill me. It's a practical matter from my perspective.

Weapon: firearms of any type used for the sole purpose of removing scumbags from the population of breathing humans. My 308 is a target rifle until I need to kill someone at 800 yards then it is a weapon of precision destruction.

Firearms, Guns, Pistols, revolvers, what ever: The main purpose of these it to hunt, plink or just burn up ammo on the range.

Do you have any idea what my DI's would have done to me if I called the M16 I was issued a gun? That stuff sticks. It carried over into my time as a Marine. Some didn't care but some did and they always seemed to out rank me. I'm on the other side of the page, it irriates me when people lump "guns" together. It's a weapon, a pistol, a revolver, a rifle, etc....not to the extent I would start a thread about it though.